Author Notes

Booklist Review

There are many reference works on the cold war, including The Cold War Encyclopedia (1996) and the recent Historical Dictionary of the Cold War (2000). These works put a crucial period of the twentieth century into perspective. They share an international focus, driven in part by the global nature of the cold war, the events that defined it, and the people who fought it. This new encyclopedia takes a different tack, focusing almost exclusively on American domestic events and issues and touching on international themes only when they are relevant to the U.S. scene. More than 700 entries are arranged alphabetically, beginning with Acheson, Dean, secretary of state from 1949 to 1953, and ending with Yippies, an anti-establishment radical element of the hippie movement. In between are entries on presidents and their opponents, civil rights groups and leaders, phrases, and definitions. The length of each entry (ranging from 100^-2,500 words) reflects the importance of the subject or the depth of coverage needed. Acheson's boss, Harry Truman, earns just over four columns, while Truman's opponent in the infamous 1948 general election, Thomas Dewey, barely rates one column. Each entry is factual and concise. The entry on Martin Luther King Jr. mentions his early life and education, his adherence to Gandhi's policy of nonviolence, the March on Washington, and his assassination in Tennessee, avoiding the various controversies surrounding both King's life and death. Sometimes the generally objective tone of the work is missing, as when, for example, it defines communism as "paradoxical and self-defeating." Black-and-white photographs enhance the text, and the index is detailed. This volume is a worthy addition to the cold war reference shelf. Its coverage of people, places, and events that might be ignored in works with a more international perspective makes it a good starting point for anyone interested in an American focus. Recommended for high-school, public, and academic libraries.

Choice Review

Toropov's encyclopedia offers 700 entries about US politics during the period 1945-91. Topics covered include events, individuals, organizations, and concepts. Since it focuses exclusively on the US, including only foreign events considered of direct relevance, this work is more specialized than other Cold War reference works. It includes popular phrases such as "better dead than red" and "credibility gap," as well as entries on individuals not normally associated with the Cold War, such as Bob Hope and long-time Chicago mayor Richard Daley. In many ways, this work is intended as a companion volume to Richard Schwartz's Cold War Culture: Media and the Arts, 1945-1990 (CH, Jul'98). It supplies both an index and list of entries, ending with a disappointing select bibliography that fails to mention works by noted Cold War scholars such as John Lewis Gaddis and Ellen Schrecker. Although beginning undergraduates might find this work useful, it is more appropriate for public than academic libraries. D. Durant; East Carolina University

Excerpts

Encyclopedia of Cold War Politics is a concise yet comprehensive A-to-Z reference on the period from World War II to the demise of the Soviet Union. Its 700 entries, varying in length from 100 to 2,500 words, cover events, organizations and institutions, individuals and groups, ideas and concepts, publications and documents, and more. A comprehensive reference to American political life during the Cold War and the perfect companion volume to Facts On File's Cold War Culture, Encyclopedia of Cold War Politics conveys not only the facts, but the flavor and atmosphere of an era now beginning to come into focus as history. Among the many topics covered are: Events: The Red Scare, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement Organizations and Institutions: HUAC, the CIA, the Supreme Court, labor unions, Students for a Democratic Society Individuals and Groups: Whittaker Chambers, J. Edgar Hoover, Dean Acheson, Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger Ideas and Concepts: Counterculture, bomb shelters, missile gap, Better Dead than Red, witch hunts. Excerpted from Encyclopedia of Cold War Politics by Brandon Toropov All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.